Giovanni Scelzi Earns Career-Best USAC National Result During Western World Championships

Inside Line Promotions – QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (Nov. 18, 2019) – Giovanni Scelzi scored his career-best USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series race last Saturday during the final night of the 52nd annual Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford hosted by Arizona Speedway.

“We got a lot better from Friday to Saturday,” he said. “It’s unique in a midget. It’s tough to get comfortable because I’m so used to racing winged sprint cars. On Saturday in the B Main we were night and day different than we were all weekend. It’s a different kind of racing than I’m used to so it takes time to adjust and compete with the best drivers.”

Scelzi did just that while behind the wheel of a Tucker-Boat Motorsports entry during only his ninth and 10th career midget starts. He qualified eighth quickest and advanced from fifth to third place in a heat race on Friday to garner the second starting position for the main event.

“I ran the top too long and fell back gradually,” he said. “The predominant lane was around the bottom at both ends. I couldn’t get it comfortable and we struggled for grip.”

Scelzi salvaged a 12th-place result, which marked his career-best outing during a USAC National event. An improvement was visible during the event finale on Saturday.

“We struggled Friday and in the heat race on Saturday,” Scelzi said after qualifying sixth quickest and placing sixth in a heat race. “We talked about it and made some big changes to get it to work like I wanted. I was more comfortable making adjustments in the cockpit, too. We figured out more of a baseline to start at.”

Scelzi finished in the runner-up position in the B Main before he capped the night with a career-best ninth-place finish in the main event.

“I rode around in sixth and got to fourth at one point,” he said. “One of the restarts got called back and everything got shuffled around and we fell to ninth. There’s no dirty air so you can enter the corner right on someone’s bumper. I’m learning a lot each race and we’re making gains so that’s exciting.”

Scelzi continues USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series competition with the team this Tuesday and Wednesday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., during the Hangtown 100 and Saturday at Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield, Calif. He has raced a winged sprint car at both tracks, but this week will mark his first midget start at both ovals.

“Placerville will be a great race for midgets,” he said. “You’ll probably have three lanes of racing. The car count will be great and the purse is good so it should make for a fun event. And we’re looking forward to Bakersfield, where I’ve been one time in a sprint car.”